Don't open the bottle

Short description

A hole is placed in the side of a full bottle of water but mysteriously no water escapes - until the lid is opened. In this lessons students use ideas about atmospheric pressure and the skill of constructing explanations to figure out how the trick works.

Learning objective

• Communicate ideas: Use force diagrams to show how the mystery works.
• Pressure: Explain how the mystery works in terms of the effects of unequal force.

Blueprint curriculum link

• Unit: Heating & cooling
• Concept: Pressure: Particle motion causes gases to produce pressure on the containers, which depends on their temperature
• Skills: Write: Use diagrams to communicate
• Learning stage: Acquire

Activity contents

• Teachers guide
• PowerPoint file

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